Rising paychecks are boosting women’s confidence in personal finance—but not their satisfaction with employee benefits. That’s the key takeaway from new research by The Standard, which surveyed over 5,000 U.S. workers on money management, benefits, and financial literacy.
“Our research shows that employers have a significant gap — and opportunity — in meeting the needs of women employees with tailored employee benefits and financial education,” said Justin Delaney, senior VP at The Standard.
Confidence Gap in Finance and Benefits
Women still report lower confidence than men in understanding money, insurance, and employee benefits. While 74% of men feel assured in their benefits knowledge, only 66% of women do. Similarly, 70% of men feel confident managing money versus 60% of women. Yet women are keen learners—61% are actively improving their financial literacy, suggesting they may underestimate their expertise.
Household Benefits Responsibility
Two-thirds of women serve as primary managers of household benefits, rising to 72% among those earning under $50,000—the group with the lowest confidence in financial matters. For employers, this underscores the chance to design benefits education programs that empower women to make informed decisions for themselves and their families.
Higher Income, Higher Expectations
As women climb the pay scale, their financial savvy grows—and so does their scrutiny of benefits. Three-quarters of high-earning, financially literate women want more employer focus on caregiving. Over half seek benefits tailored to their personal needs rather than household norms, and 42% still struggle to understand available options.
Money also affects life choices. Among women earning over $200,000, 35% report wanting more children but feeling financially constrained, and 42% say career changes aren’t economically feasible—higher than their lower-earning peers.
Implications for Employers
These findings suggest that generic benefits packages may fall short for women at different income levels and life stages. Employers aiming to recruit, retain, and develop female talent should consider flexible, personalized benefits and financial literacy programs. Addressing dissatisfaction among high-earning women could be key to fostering leadership and long-term engagement.
The study was conducted online with 5,000 participants (70% women, 30% men) aged 18–70, all of whom received some form of employee benefits.
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Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Public relations, investor relations, public policy and marketing professionals rely on Business Wire for secure and accurate distribution of market-moving news and multimedia. Founded in 1961, Business Wire is a trusted source for news organizations, journalists, investment professionals and regulatory authorities, delivering news directly into editorial systems and leading online news sources via its multi-patented NX network. Business Wire’s global newsrooms are available to meet the needs of communications professionals and news media worldwide.
